There is a common assumption by many that the human intellect is simply light years more advanced than that of any animal.
I believe watching these videos of elephants painting pictures and even some signing their own name on them in writing would severely challenge that assumption.
@humy
That is humbling. My art is music, lots of tracks on Soundcloud. But this elephant is making art I could NEVER do without extensive training.
I was thinking at first, he is colorblind because of the use of just black paint. Then he pulls out green and red (with help from his handler) and adds color appropriately. Then frigging SIGNING it? JESS. Understanding LETTERS for gods sake?
I wonder if there is a way to make an elephant IQ test?
Clearly the one I saw, just the first vid, shows skills only attributed to humans.
It would be interesting if they could arrange a way for the elephant to select his own brushes and colors without the help from his handler.
Altogether an amazing display of non human intelligence! So much for human supremacy eh...
Take a look at this link, AI created art! Another non human artist:
https://www.fastcompany.com/90376689/what-you-look-like-as-an-renaissance-painting-according-to-ai
I just found this video of music being played to elephants and they at least seem to like it;
And this elephant at least tries to play a piano (not too successfully);
But I also found this video of a silver-back that doesn't seem too smart because it doesn't work out its just seeing its own reflection in a mirror;
@wolfgang59 saidI somehow failed to notice your post there before. Sorry about that.
@humy
Please don't fall for these stories.
What you are witnessing is the extreme exploitation of these animals.
https://www.onegreenplanet.org/animalsandnature/why-making-an-elephant-paint-is-cruel-not-cute/
I have just read the above link and I am utterly appalled! I had not idea they were so cruelly abused. I was particularly shocked to read that “when the young calves in Maesa Elephant Nursery reached two year of age, it was time to separate them from their mothers. ”.
I certainly think that's wrong and I am against it.
And I now accept the message I gave in my OP was based on a false premise.
However, although they were clearly treated with cruelty, and they we 'made' to paint which rather means the fact that they paint isn't in this case such good evidence of their true intelligence, at least the mere fact that they can be 'made' to paint shows at least something about their intelligence and I am still think their intelligence is probably in at least some important ways comparable with our own.
If you watch the last above 4 videos, especially the last one above, which certainly do NOT involve animal cruelty because they aren't 'made' to do anything, you may get a vague sense of why I may think this.
@humy
The thing about those videos is this: The handler is seldom seen so you can't see him prod the poor elephant with that sharp hook.
It may be prodded to change colors, one yank of pain means green, 2 yanks means black or some such code could be possible.